


A Mistletoe Tradition

by FateChica



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, Mike and El are so adorable, Mileven Secret Santa, Mistletoe, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 02:26:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17133302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FateChica/pseuds/FateChica
Summary: Though she's learning, there's still a lot El doesn't understand about Christmas. Including what that little green plant is all about and why people kiss underneath it.Good thing, then, that she has Mike to ask, isn't it?





	A Mistletoe Tradition

**Author's Note:**

> This is my Mileven Secret Santa gift for Casey (@caseyk112 on Tumblr)! The theme I had was "christmas time" and this was literally the first thing that came to mind.
> 
> So, Merry Christmas, Casey, and I hope you enjoy it!

‘Twas _not_ the night before Christmas and all through the house, the halls are _not_ decked (but there’s probably a mouse... _somewhere_ ).

However, the weather outside _is_ frightful on this Saturday night three weeks before Christmas and El’s grateful for the warmth of the cabin, keeping the worst of it outside, the cold and snow with its icy howling winds.

_(el doesn’t like to think about this time last year, about the cold days and colder nights, fingers tucked into her armpits as she huddles for warmth, learning how to make fires, how to **survive**.) _

But there’s something El’s even _more_ grateful for than the cabin. And that’s the boy next to her next to her on the couch, his arm around her shoulders as she sits snuggled against his side.

_Mike._

El smiles and tilts her head so that it’s resting on Mike’s shoulder. She can’t help but notice, and not for the first time, how nicely her head fits there, tucked up along the curve of his neck, her cheek pillowed on his shoulder. She takes in a slow, deep breath, letting her lungs fill with the smell of laundry detergent and clean boy. It mixes a little with the woodsy smell of the cabin and the rich butter of the microwave popcorn Mike brought over for them to eat while they watched movies and TV and it’s rapidly becoming El’s favorite smell in the entire universe.

(El finds it difficult to understand the concept of ‘universe’ – a space that has no end, with countless stars swirling around in countless galaxies – and not even Mike could explain it well enough when she asked him a few days ago. But she understands it enough to know that her feelings for Mike and all the things she associates with him make the universe feel small in comparison. Because _nothing_ is as all-encompassing as what she feels for him.)

A sudden gust of wind knocks one of the outdoor shutters against the window and El feels Mike’s head shift to look. El turns, too, but to look at Mike instead of the window and she frowns when she sees the concern on his face. “What’s wrong?” she asks, voice a little croaky from disuse – it’s the first either of them have really spoken in a couple of hours.

Mike’s tongue flicks out to wet his lips – a sign that something’s bothering him. “It’s really snowing out there. Is Hopper gonna be able to make it home?”

Hopper’s at work right now, covering the evening shift, and he’d brought Mike over earlier in the day to keep El company while he worked. The plan was when Hopper got home, he was going to take Mike over to Will’s house for a sleepover with the rest of the Party (El wasn’t allowed, of course – too risky, according to Hopper and El didn’t even bother pretending like she was ok with that). “Sad to miss the others?” she asks, frown deepening.

Mike still isn’t looking at her, his gaze focused on the window. “No,” he says with a slow shake of his head. He blinks a second later, like he’s heard what he just said. “I mean, Mrs. Byers is ordering pizza, so that’s awesome and it sucks I might not get any,” he says, looking down at her, a blush crawling over his cheeks. “Just worried about Hopper trying to get home.”

 _Pretty,_ El thinks but doesn’t say – she knows it makes Mike all squirmy when she calls him that. But she does smile, one hand reaching up to gently touch his cheek, the tip of her finger resting lightly against his skin. “You’re blushing,” she says, her touch only making him blush harder. “You like Hopper that much?” she asks.

El’s teasing – at least, she _thinks_ she is. There’s a lot she’s still learning, but the rest of the Party has been helping her catch up and spending so much time with them over the past month has taught her a lot about how friends _really_ work – what’s ok to say and how to say it, how to tease and make fun of without being mean.

El knows she’s successful when Mike glares at her. But she know he doesn’t mean it. El’s seen him angry before and this is just pretend-anger. “No,” Mike says. “But I know you do, so, you know….” Mike lets his voice trail off, his expression softening as he shrugs a shoulder.

 _He’s worried for her._ El’s heart flutters in her chest and she ducks her head so that she’s snuggled up against him once more. Words fail her as they so often do, especially when she thinks about not only how much she cares about Mike, but also how much she knows he cares about _her._ And it makes her feel all warm and gooey inside, like the marshmallows Hopper had let her and the others roast over the fire in the fireplace last week. “Thank you,” she says after a moment, the sound almost drowned out by the Christmas commercials playing on the TV, all bright bells and merry laughter.

El’s breath hitches in her chest, her heart full on skipping a beat, when she feels Mike’s lips press against the top of her head before he rests his cheek on the crown of her hair. “Don’t mention it,” Mike says, which El has come to learn is a shy way of saying “you’re welcome” (and she hates, sometimes, that there are so many ways to say the same thing depending on how you’re feeling or the mood you’re in and she feels like, sometimes, she’s never _ever_ going to catch up and learn it all).

They fall into a gentle silence and El’s about to refocus her attention on the TV when Mike lets out a low laugh, his breath ticking the curls on the top of her head. “Besides, if Hopper doesn’t make it back to take me to Will’s, I’ll have to spend the night,” he says, voice both a little shy and excited.

El doesn’t need to look to know that Mike’s still blushing and she can’t help it when she feels her own cheeks heat up in return. But she hugs Mike tighter and hears him sigh. “Good,” she says. “Don’t like it when you go home.”

“Yeah, me neither,” Mike says and the arm around her shoulder pulls her that much closer to him.

If only it could _always_ be like this, El thinks as she settles back against him – warm and safe in Mike’s arms, where she can also hold him, _together_ like she thinks they were always meant to be, just the two of them.

El lets her attention fully go back to the TV playing in front of them, the signal a little staticky with the storm blowing outside, just in time to see the The Charlie Brown Christmas special begin. Along with Mike, she finds herself laughing at the jokes and commiserating with Charlie Brown and feeling so sad for that poor, little tree. El tears up a little at the end, when everyone gets together to make the small tree really look beautiful, and she hears Mike sigh as well, like the emotion of the moment is also affecting him.

But it’s during the cartoon when El sees something that brings to mind the question that’s been on her mind for _days,_ ever since the Christmas commercials started after Thanksgiving. In one of the commercials advertising a jewelry store, a man, who’s just bought his girlfriend a beautiful necklace, points up above the two of them after he’s clasped the necklace around her neck to the small plant hanging above them. The woman rolls her eyes, like she understands what her boyfriend means by it, and leans up so she can kiss him, their lips meeting softly on the screen.

It’s not the first time El’s seen the commercial and this time, just like all the other times, she wonders just _why_ the presence of that little green plant means that the couple had to kiss beneath it (she’s gathered enough that they’re kissing because of it, she just doesn’t know _why)._ The desire to know burns deep in her stomach and she almost lifts her head to ask Mike – because Mike knows _everything,_ it feels like.

But she doesn’t. Because El can remember when she asked what Christmas was a couple of weeks ago at Will’s and she’d been so embarrassed at the looks the rest of the Party gave her that she holed herself up in Will’s room. Mike had followed her, though, and quietly answered her questions. But he’d looked at her almost sadly the entire time in a way that made El’s heart hurt and she didn’t want to risk making him sad again by asking questions about things any other normal girl would already know the answer to.

So, El keeps silent and lets the question continue to stew inside of her.

She can’t, however, stop imagining her and Mike kissing as they stand beneath that little green plant and it makes her skin tingle to think about sharing a long, slow kiss with him, the kind of kiss that’s on the TV commercial, the kind of kiss she sees in her soaps. It makes her feel all fluttery inside, thinking about kissing Mike like that, and El wants _so_ badly to experience it someday.

At about 8 in the evening, the radio squeals to life, causing the two teens to jump. It’s Hopper, radioing in – he doesn’t expect El to answer since he’s still not sure if it’s safe yet, so Mike and El just listen as Hopper talks. “Hey,” Hopper’s voice calls out, a little mushy with static. “Storm’s pretty bad so I don’t think I’m gonna make it home. You two stay inside and keep warm. There’s enough food in the fridge, I think, so you should be ok until morning. Mi-” Hopper bites off, like he was about to say Mike’s name but realizes he probably shouldn’t _just in case._ “Kid, keep her safe, ok? I’ll call where you were supposed to go and let them know you’re not gonna make it. Watch out for each other.”

And, with that, the radio falls silent. The TV’s droning on in the background, but none of it matters as Mike and El move to look at each other, both of them with small, shy, _ecstatic_ smiles spreading across their faces. “Guess I’m spending the night after all,” Mike says.

El lets out a noise that’s somewhere between a giggle and a sigh before she reaches up to press a light kiss to Mike’s cheek – he’s just _too_ cute for her to resist. “Good,” she says, letting out another giggle at the sight of Mike’s lightly flushed face.

Mike bites his lip and glances away for a second before looking back up at her, his gaze sparkling in the warm light of the cabin. “Wanna see what we can scrounge for dinner before changing into PJs and watching a movie?” he asks, a smile teasing at the corners of his lips.

El smiles even wider and nods emphatically enough that she can feel the whisper of her curls against the back of her neck. “Yeah, sounds good,” she says, feeling so happy, it’s like she’s going to burst from trying to contain it all.

They take turns changing in El’s room. Mike dresses in the clothes he’d brought to sleep at Will’s house which are buried in the bottom of his backpack, a simple pair of sweatpants and a thermal shirt. El, on the other hand, changes into the flannel PJ pants Hopper bought her and the sweater Mike has been wearing the whole day. When Mike asks her why after El tells him she wants to wear his sweater, she tells him it’s because it smells like him and the way his face flushes has her biting back a giggle, her heart fluttering dangerously in her chest.

They eat a dinner of reheated macaroni and cheese – courtesy of Mrs. Byers since Hopper has only recently started trying to learn how to cook anything – while they watch one of the movies Mike had brought with him (“Dark Crystal”, which takes El a little bit to get used to with the puppets and everything). The entire time, they’re snuggled beneath the quilted blanket that usually lives on the back of the couch, enjoying both the warmth and the closeness of being with each other.

By the end of the movie (which she very much enjoyed), El’s yawning and she knows she should go to bed, but she doesn’t want the night to be over. She _never_ wants it to be over – she just wants to be with Mike and never stop. It’s all she wanted for 353 days and the month that’s passed since closing the gate, getting to spend all this time with Mike, hasn’t done anything to satisfy her need to be with him. In fact, it’s only gotten worse. She misses him terribly when he’s not with her and time seems to pass way too quickly when he is.

It’s almost too, bad, then, when Mike turns to her after the movie and El knows before he says it _exactly_ what he’s going to say.

Because all good things must come to an end.

 

* * *

  
The day is everything Mike could have hoped for: just him and El with nothing to do but spend time together. Cuddling on the couch, her in his arms, trading the occasional soft kiss while they luxuriate in just having long stretches of time to just _be_ together.

It’s really all he’s ever wanted and Mike sometimes still can’t believe that this isn’t a dream he’s about to wake up from into a world where El’s still gone and there’s a hole in his heart in the shape of her.

But El’s here – she’s _really_ here and Mike doesn’t know how he got so lucky to have her back in his life. She’s his _real_ Christmas present this year and everything else pales in comparison to the beauty of her smile when she sees him, the brightness of her laugh when he tells her funny stories about his day...the soft sweetness of her lips when she kisses him, the simple touch of her mouth to his making everything else fade away until there’s just _her._

So when Hopper radios in to let them know he won’t be home, that Mike and El are effectively snowed in, Mike can’t even bring himself to care about missing the sleepover at Will’s house. Because it means he gets to spend more time with El.

The feel of her in his arms as they watch “Dark Crystal”, El gasping and sighing at every twist and turn of the plot, is a feeling Mike’s beginning to realize is never going to get old. Holding her both makes his heart race and soothes him all at the same time and he knows he’s going to want to experience this every day for the rest of his life.

_(he won’t put a word to how it makes him feel – **can’t** actually. he’s only 13 and it’s way too early to be thinking about things like “forever” and “love”, even though the words resonate so very deeply with every fiber of his being. it’s just too scary and he’s not fully ready to face the depth of his feelings. one day, he will be, though. **one day**.) _

As the movie comes to an end, Mike notices El fighting off a yawn, her head dropping a bit as exhaustion creeps in. She’s still recovering a little after closing the gate and tires pretty easily at the end of the day, though she’s getting stronger all the time.

Mike smiles – sleepy El is one of his favorites, all soft and warm and trusting (how snuggly she gets when she’s sleepy is just a bonus) – and nudges her gently. “You should go to bed,” he says, reaching over to brush away the curls that have fallen over her forehead where her head’s leaning against the back of the couch.

He’s struck again, like he _always_ is, at just how _pretty_ she is, all soft skin and sparkling, warm brown eyes and chestnut curls that beg for him to run his fingers through. Mike’s heart races a little in his chest at how lucky he is that this beautiful, amazing, incredible girl wants to be with _him,_ the boy girls never look twice at, the boy bullies call “Frogface”...or _worse._

El shivers at his touch, leaning into his hand, and she smiles up at him. “If you go with me,” she says, voice hushed with the exhaustion that pulls at her.

Mike feels his face heat up again. He’d been planning on sleeping on the couch, not wanting to assume the El would want him with her (but desperately hoping she would at the same time). He shouldn’t be surprised that she wants him with her – not when she’s just as needy to be with him as he is with her – but it’s still overwhelming to think about sleeping next to her in her bed. Realistically, he knows they’re just going to be sleeping, but _still._

Mike realizes that he’s just staring at her and that El’s looking back up at him, expectant and hopeful, and Mike knows that he would do anything for her. So he smiles a second later, ignoring the way his stomach swoops and his heart pounds. He’s aware the smile on his face is totally lovesick, but he doesn’t care, not when El is looking at him like she is, like she never wants to look away. “Ok,” he says, voice just as hushed as El’s. “Let’s go to bed, then.”

A shiver runs down Mike’s spine and he realizes that this isn’t going to be the last time he ever hear says those words. No, this is just the _first_ of countless times Mike’s going to utter those words – and he can’t _wait_ for the rest of those times.

It’s with shy smiles and warm gazes that El and Mike crawl beneath the covers of her bed after turning out the lights in the rest of the cabin, leaving only the dim nightlight in the corner of El’s room, just enough for them to see as they get settled in. Mike’s heart races the entire time as he slides beneath the thick quilt and lays his head down on one of the pillows.

But it’s easy to ignore his nervousness as he watches El get comfortable, memorizing the way she situates the pillow beneath her head before burrowing deeper underneath the blankets. It’s the cutest thing Mike’s ever seen, watching what seems to be an ingrained habit, and he very much wants to learn _all_ of El’s little habits and quirks. It’s something he knows he's going to happily spend the rest of his life doing.

El looks at him a second later, once she’s all settled in, and Mike almost forgets his name with the way she’s looking at him. Her gaze is warm in the dim light, the expression on her face soft and fond, lips curled up in a shy, sleepy smile. She looks _magical,_ like everything he’s ever hoped for, real and alive and _here,_ here with him where he can see her and be with her and cherish her.

Mike _still_ can’t believe it, can’t believe that luck is finally on his side for once, giving him El back into his life. It’s almost too much.

Overwhelmed by the emotions coursing through him, full of happiness and awe and _love_ (though he doesn’t dare let himself even _think_ that word), Mike reaches out for El, hand crossing the scant distance between them to grab hold of hers. Her hand shifts in his, the two of them working together to weave their fingers together, and if Mike’s not mistaken, they move just that much closer until only a handful of inches separate them.

El’s lips part, just a little, and Mike hears the sound of her breath releasing in a quiet shudder. “Hi,” she whispers, smile curling up just a little bit more.

Mike can’t help the way his heart skips a beat at the sight of that smile. “Hi,” he returns, squeezing her hand tighter as his thumb runs across the length of her index finger. “How are you doing? Comfortable?”

El nods, a pretty blush rising to her cheeks deep enough to be visible in the low light. “Good,” is what she says, gaze flickering down before she focuses on him, lower lip sliding between her teeth in a gentle bite. Mike watches, enraptured, as a whole host of emotions crosses over her beautiful face – curiosity, uncertainty, resolve, shyness. “Mike?” she says, voice soft, his name lingering on her lips. God, he loves how his names sounds when she says it, rich with meaning, clear and beautiful and said with so much fondness, it makes his heart squeeze in his chest.

“Yeah, El?” If El says his name like a promise, Mike says hers like a prayer, unable to stop being so incredibly grateful to have her back in his life once again.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course, anything!” Mike hurries to say, hoping he’s not coming across as too eager. But he also knows that it’s beginning to bother El just how many things she doesn’t know, and how it’s starting to make her embarrassed to always have to ask. But Mike doesn’t think it’s anything to be embarrassed about – it’s not El’s fault she was essentially kept prisoner ( a fact that makes Mike’s blood boil if he thinks about it for too long).

The last thing Mike wants is for El to stop asking questions, to stop learning. And Mike _loves_ it when El asks him questions. It makes _him_ think and wonder, too, makes him question assumptions he’s made or things he’s taken for granted. Plus, it often sparks conversations between him and El, giving him a chance to keep hearing her voice, to keep learning about her and what her thoughts and feelings are about everything. So, yeah, Mike will do whatever it takes to keep encouraging El to never stop wondering and asking.

“That commercial, during Charlie Brown, the one for the jewelry store, what’s that green plant?”

It takes Mike a moment to remember what El’s talking about, but he can see the commercial in his mind’s eye. “Oh, you mean the commercial with the mistletoe,” he says.

El’s scrunches up her nose and the cuteness of that expression hits Mike’s heart with a pang. “Mistletoe? Is that the plant?”

Mike nods. “Yeah, that’s what it’s called.”

El chews on her lower lip for a brief moment before she asks another question. “So, why do people kiss beneath it?”

This is one of those questions that El asks him where Mike’s not exactly sure how to answer. But El’s looking at him with naked curiosity and Mike can’t deny her an answer, so he gives it his best shot. “It’s another Christmas tradition. If a guy and girl find that they’re standing beneath the mistletoe, they’re supposed to share a kiss,” Mike says, blushing a little. Because now he’s imagining getting caught beneath the mistletoe with El and he really, _really_ wants to experience that someday.

But El’s frowning a little, like she’s thinking it through. “What happens if they don’t? What if the guy and girl don’t want to kiss?”

Mike shrugs, his heart thumping a bit. “Nothing, really. I think the worst that gets happened is you get teased, but it happens either way, kiss or no kiss.” He pauses, thinking, wanting to reassure the concern on El’s face. “If you ever end up under the mistletoe with someone you don’t want to kiss, you don’t have to, you know that, right? It’s your choice.” _Even if it’s me you're under it with,_ he thinks but doesn’t say.

El squeezes his hand and smiles, seemingly reassured. “Good. Only want to kiss you under the mistletoe,” she says, her blush coming back with a vengeance as she lets out a wistful, longing sigh.

Mike’s face heats up with a very similar blush. “We will someday, you know, if you want.”

“I do,” El says. “I do want to.” She lets out another sigh. “Someday, right?”

Another pang squeezes at Mike’s heart, thinking about how El is stuck here in this cabin for her first Christmas and he hopes, so badly, that next year will be different. “Yeah, someday. I promise,” he says, meaning it with every fiber of his being. He’d give her _everything_ if she asked for it.

“Good,” El says, her smile soft and fond. She glances down, almost shy, before she looks back up and scoots closer to him. Her hand leaves his so she can reach for him, palm pressed high on his chest right below his shoulder, and she leans in. Mike’s breath catches in his throat right before she kisses him, his heart racing at the feel of her soft lips pressed against his, the smell of her shampoo invading his nostrils.

He has enough presence of mind to kiss her back, to return the gentle pressure of her mouth, and Mike still can’t believe that he gets to experience this, that El wants to kiss him as much as he wants to kiss her. Half the time, El’s the one who initiates their kisses and it makes Mike glad that she’s not afraid to show him what she wants, that she wants to be with him too.

The kiss comes to a slow end and Mike watches, spellbound, as El pulls back, the look on her face both shy and satisfied – but beautiful as always. She lets out one last soft sigh before she shifts even closer to him, burrowing herself into his embrace, her head pillowed on his shoulder while her arm wraps around his torso in a lying down hug that makes his heart race. Mike’s arms wrap around her as easy as breathing and he cherishes the feel of holding her close. The feel of her in his arms is as close to _home_ as Mike’s ever been and all he knows is that he _never_ wants to let her go.

“Thank you,” she says, her breath soft against his throat as she speaks.

Mike’s not entirely sure what she’s thanking him for – after all, he’d do _anything_ for her – so he just shrugs lightly, careful not to jostle her too much. “Anytime.”

“Night, Mike,” El says, settling further against him, getting comfortable.

Mike holds her tighter, overwhelmed by _everything_ in the best way possible and he hopes he never stops being glad she’s back in his life. “Night, El.”

It doesn’t take the two of them long to fall asleep, wrapped up in each other, his face buried in her hair, her’s resting up against his throat, snuggled together beneath the thick quilt.

It’s the best night’s sleep Mike’s ever had.

 

* * *

  
It’s a good Christmas, the Christmas of 1984, if a little muted. El’s stuck in the cabin, but the Party brings Christmas to _her_ instead – a tree, ornaments, presents, the _works._ The only thing Mike can’t manage to get his hands on is some mistletoe, despite how desperately he wants to. He’s seen that commercial with El a few more times and, each time, she lets out a wistful, longing sigh that tugs at his heartstrings.

Still, it’s a good Christmas and he barely even cares about the presents he gets from his friends and family. It’s not that he’s not grateful, not at all – it’s just that they all pale in comparison to having El back in his life.

But Mike still wishes he’d been able to get some mistletoe.

So, when Christmas rolls around the _next_ year, Mike’s determined this time. It helps that he starts planning how to get his hands on some much earlier in the year so, that by the time it’s the last day of school before Christmas break, Mike has what feels like a small forest of mistletoe ready to be hung or stashed somewhere for the right, opportune moment.

Like right now.

The final bell has rung on the last day of school before Christmas, signaling the start of Winter Break, and Mike practically beelines it for El’s locker. He knows she has English class right near where her locker is, so she should be there as he heads that way after getting out his World History class clear across campus (which isn’t all that large, but _still)._

Mike rounds the final corner before El’s locker should be visible, backpack securely strapped to his shoulders and full of everything he might need over the break, eager to see El –

– And _freezes_ when he sees her, momentarily struck by the sight of his beautiful girlfriend standing in front of her open locker.

El’s wearing tight jeans and a pretty green sweater that he knows is as soft to the touch as it looks given how he had his arm wrapped around her waist practically all throughout lunch. Her hair’s down a couple of inches past her shoulders, now, left down today in gentle, gorgeous waves. As he watches while El packs her backpack, every movement deliberate and graceful, she raises a hand to tuck some of her hair behind her ear that’s fallen over her face, her fingers delicately curving around the shell of her ear.

Mike’s blown away, once again, over everything about the girl he loves, who loves him in return in a way that he knows is going to get deeper with every day that passes for the rest of their lives. And after everything that’s happened to them – closing the gate, all the shit that went down over the summer, El adjusting to being in school – Mike knows that she’s _it_ for him. They may have not said it exactly, but Mike knows that he’s going to spend the rest of his life with El and the thought is both equally reassuring as it is exciting.

But he has a surprise for her, so standing around gaping at her like a love-sick idiot is not in the cards today.

So, with a grin, Mike resumes his walk, feet carrying him the last relative handful of steps for the moment he’s been waiting for all day.

El sees him out of the corner of her eye and she smiles, the sight bright enough to outshine the sun, making Mike’s heart stutter and skip a beat. “Mike, hi!” she says, reaching for him with one hand, the other lowering her backpack to the ground so she can face him.

Mike smiles down and lets his fingers entangle with hers. “Hello, there. You almost ready to go?”

El nods, hair whispering against her skin as the gorgeous waves bounce enticingly. Mike’s hands itch to bury themselves in her hair, to feel the soft, silky strands glide through his fingers. _In due time,_ he thinks, the thought just adding to the smile on his face. “Yes, almost,” she says. “Just figuring out what to bring home with me.”

“Hmm, well, before you finish, I have a surprise for you,” Mike says, aware that his grin is rapidly reaching shit-eating proportions, he’s so excited.

El arches an eyebrow, the smile on her face turning what Mike can only describe as _flirty._ “Ooh, what is it?” she asks and her smile grows even brighter.

“You gotta close your eyes, first,” Mike says, excitement vibrating in his veins.

El gives him a look, almost exacerbated, before she complies, her smile turning soft, yet eager.

Mike takes a quick moment to savor the pretty sight in front of him, El’s face is upturned like she’s awaiting a kiss (which she kind of is even if she doesn’t know it yet), a light blush on her cheeks, soft, pink lips curled in a beautiful smile. He’s temporarily star-struck, as he so often is by her, before he realizes that she’s not going to stand there forever and he better hurry if he doesn’t want to ruin the surprise.

_(sometimes he doesn’t know how he got so lucky. el’s so beautiful and nice and amazing. she could be with anyone she wants and she chooses to be with **him**. he doesn’t think he’ll ever fully understand how he got so lucky, but he does know that for as long as el lets him, he’s never going to let her go.) _

Mike reaches into his pocket and pulls out the small sprig of mistletoe that’s been in there all day. Luckily, much to his surprise, it’s not too smooshed and the four, small red berries are somehow still attached. Mike grins and lifts the sprig up above him and El with one hand as the other reaches for her, his palm resting on the gentle curve of her waist, fingers curling around the slope, as he pulls her towards him. The move elicits a small gasp from her, the sound thrilling to Mike’s ears, but her eyes stay closed and Mike smiles even wider.

“Open your eyes and look up,” Mike says, his voice low despite his eagerness. People are milling all around, all excited voices and giddy laughter as they head out for three weeks off from school. But the rest of the world might as well not exist as Mike stares down at El, waiting with rapt anticipation for El’s reaction.

Slowly, El opens her eyes and tilts her head up, eager curiosity becoming bright happiness as she registers what Mike’s holding above her head. Her smile turns almost incredulous as a gasping giggle escapes from her. “Oh my god, Mike. Mistletoe?” Her gaze drops so she can look at him, her eyes wide and disbelieving.

Mike grins, shrugging a little. “Well, you _did_ say last year you wanted to experience this, so….”

El shakes her head, smiling so wide that her cheeks dimple. “I can’t believe you remembered,” she says, voice hushed.

“Of course I remembered,” Mike says, almost offended that she thinks he wouldn’t. It was something she wanted. _Of course_ he wouldn’t forget. He breathes out a laugh. “I love you.”

El glances down, almost overwhelmed, and the blush that’s spreading on her cheeks deepens to a rosy pink before she looks back up at him, half through her lashes. “I love you, too,” she says, still quiet. The air around them goes still, slowing nearly to a stop as they just _stare_ at each other, and Mike marvels at how this always seems to happen to them, how the rest of the world just becomes unimportant, fading away to less than background noise. He luxuriates in this feeling for just a moment, letting the warmth of her gaze wrap around his heart, the love he feels for her becoming all that he is.

But his arm’s starting to get tired, stretched as it is above his and El’s heads. Mike’s grin turns a little wry as he tilts his head just slightly. “So, can I kiss you or what? Not sure how much longer I can keep holding this up.”

El breathes out a laugh, not quite a giggle, and reaches for him, her hand wrapping around his other arm at the elbow. “Come here, you nerd,” she teases as she starts stretching up onto her toes.

Mike’s leaning down before he’s even fully aware of it. “Hey, you like me nerdy,” he says, his mouth inches from hers.

“That’s true, I do,” El says, the words whispered against his skin.

And then Mike’s lips meet El’s and everything else just fades away. Mike holds the mistletoe above their heads for just a split second – mostly just so he can say they _definitely_ kissed beneath it – before he drops it beside them, the small plant immaterial now that her mouth is pressed against his. His hands come up to gently hold her head, fingers slowly sliding into her hair, honey chestnut strands like silk against his skin.

Somewhere off in the distance, someone wolf whistles at them and someone else shouts “Get a room!”, but Mike barely hears any of it above the wild thumping of his heart and the pleased little noise that escapes from the back of El’s throat. And even if he fully registered the sounds of people calling out to them, Mike wouldn’t care. Not when El’s kissing him so sweetly, mouth slanting against his at just the right angle, their kiss slow and deep and _perfect._

All Mike can do is hold El even closer, soul singing as he feels her hands come up and around his back to clutch at his shoulders, her body curving against his as she kisses him just that much harder.

Mike never wants to stop kissing El – he could kiss her every second of every day for the rest of his life and it would never, _ever_ be enough – but they’re also at school. So, as much as Mike hates to do this, he slowly ends the kiss, pulling back just enough so he can look down at El, his hands still in her hair. For a moment, he can’t breathe at the sight in front of him – El’s face still tipped up like she’s waiting for him to kiss her again, cheeks flushed, eyes heavy lidded and barely open, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

El’s the most beautiful person he’s ever seen. And she’s with _him._

“Merry Christmas, El,” Mike says, the words thick with the overwhelming love he feels for her.

El stretches up even further as she pulls him down just enough to brush her nose against his in a sweet, Eskimo kiss that nearly brings tears to Mike’s eyes as his heart squeezes painfully in his chest. “Merry Christmas, Mike.” She lowers herself back down. “Thank you for the mistletoe.”

Mike grins, so happy he thinks he might break gravity’s hold on him and just float away. “I take it you liked it, then?”

The smile El gives him is cheeky and coy at the same time. “I did, very much.” She pauses, biting her lip, eyes sparkling with happiness. “Is that all the mistletoe you have, or….?” El trails off, tone light and teasing.

Mike laughs. He thinks of the large bundle of it he has in his room, handfuls of sprigs he plans on doling out slowly over the next couple of weeks so he can surprise her with it day after day. “You’ll just have to wait to find out,” Mike says, aware that he’s grinning like a fool and not even caring in the slightest.

El pouts, but it’s playful and completely adorable. “Fine, I guess,” she says, sighing.

Still laughing, Mike leans over and presses one more quick kiss to El’s lips. “C’mon. Let’s finish packing up before we head to my house. You’re still coming over for dinner with the others, yeah?”

El nods. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

A while later, once at the Wheeler house, much to El's delight, Mike surprises El with another sprig of mistletoe (this one hanging off a rafter at the bottom of the basement stairs, the two of them sharing a long series of lingering kisses before he removes so the others don't see it when they come over). Later, before she goes home for the night, it’s _El’s_ turn to surprise Mike with mistletoe, floating it above their heads after having pilfered the sprig from earlier. Mike kisses her, almost unable to do so because they’re both giggling too much, so happy it feels like his heart’s about to burst.

Mike doesn’t know it, now, but this is the start of a tradition that they carry with them for the rest of their lives – throughout high school and college and marriage and children and growing old together – the two of them surprising each other with mistletoe just to have a reason to kiss the other (not that they _ever_ need a reason), all smiles and giggles and whispered ‘I love yous’. Hell, El’s even convinced the tradition leads them to conceive their first child when the time comes and it cements the tradition in the annals of Mike’s greatest ideas.

But, for the moment, there’s just the two of them, surrounded by the magic of Christmas and mistletoe and being together, happy and in love.

Just the way they like it.

**Author's Note:**

> Casey, I hope this is what you were hoping for! And, Merry Christmas, once again!
> 
> And, everyone, let me know what you thought!
> 
> (now i gotta get back to really working on "give me your room and i'll give you my heart"...the holidays, man. always keeping me busy.)


End file.
